Hand wheel-plow



(N0 Model.) Y

J. V. ROWLETT. HAND WHEEL PLOW.

N0.544',124. I Patented Aug.6,1895.

1 view of my plow.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB V. ROWLETT, QF'RIOHMOND, INDIANA.

HAND WHEEL-PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,124, dated August 6, 1895.

Application filedSeptember 15, 1894. Serial No. 523,090. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAooB V. RoWLErr, of

Richmond, county of Vayne, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in HandWheel-Plows; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like figures refer to like parts.

My invention relates especially to such a construction of a hand wheel-plow that the direction of push on the handles will counteract the downward draft of the plow while at work, and thus prevent any downward pull on the rear end of the handles.

Plows of this character heretofore have been so constructed that the downward draft of the plow required the plowman to continually lift up on these handles while he was operating the plow, thus not only increasing his labor materially, but making the action of the plow exceedingly irregular.

The nature of this invention will appear from the following description.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the plow with the rear of the handles broken away.

On the axle of the wheel 1 is loosely mounted a bifurcated beam or sheth 2 extending back and united behind the wheel and curved downward to form a standard 3, to which is secured in any well-known manner a share or plow 4. This wheel may be made in any desired manner, but .I prefer a light metallic band tire with small metallic spokes secured to a metallic hub, with a bolt extending through it as an axle,upon each end of which in operation. In front of the point where the bifurcated arms of the beam are mounted on the axle the arms of the beam are bent upward and forward from the center of the wheel to a point a little beyond the middle of the radius of the wheel, where the ends of the handle-bars 5 are secured to them by a bolt or otherwise.

In order'that the push against the handles may counteract the downward draft of the plow, it is necessary'that they be attached to the beam at a point 'to the front of the center of the wheel. It is better also that they be attached not only to 'the front of the center, but above the center; and in order to waste no power it is preferable that the handle-bars at their point of attachment to the front end of the beam-arms be substantially at a right angle to the radius of the wheel at that point, as shown in the drawings. Because of these features of the construction no portion of the power applied will be wasted. The push or power applied in ust' perform two functionsnamely, propel the wheel forward, and thereby the plow, and also at the same time counteract the downward draft of the plow while it is in operation. My object is to accomplish these two purposes by the ordinary plow-handle alone. Hence my plow is so constructed that the initial direction of push or line of force will be far enough above the center of the wheel and the point of transmission of the power from the handle-bars to the beam be far enough in front of the center of the wheel to counteract the downward draft of the plow, which is below and to the rear of the center of the wheel, and at the same time propel the wheel. In other words, the initial line of force is so far above the center of the wheel that the resultant line of force in view of the draft of the plow will, as I at present understand it, intersect the center of the wheel. With such construction, therefore, only the ordinary forward push against the ordinary plow-handle is required to perform the work, there being no necessity of lifting the handles or holding them up, and as a result of this the plow is more easily propelled and is more regular in its operation than similar plows have heretofore been.

The distance of the point of connection between the handle-bars and the front end of the beam-arms above and to the front of the center of the wheel should bear a certain proportion to the distance the plow is below and behind the center of the wheel. With the parts proportioned to each other as shown the most effective point for the attachment of the handle-bars is that shownslightly beyond the middle of the radius; but it the proportion of the parts were changed the point of attachment of the handle-bars should be adjusted, and for that purpose I provide in the upturned ends of the beam a series of holes 6 to permit of such adjustment. To the rear of the wheel I provide braces 7, whose pivotal attachment to the handle-bars is likewise adjustable. The purpose of these braces is merely to maintain a fixed relation between the handles and the plow, and they are made adjustable in order that the rear end of the handle may be elevated or lowered to suit persons of different heights.

Of course the kind of plow-point can be used that is desired. The three most common forms are shown in Fig. 1. The beam is preferably formed, as shown, by two bars of iron bent in the desired shape, joined in the rear to form the sheth,and bifurcated in the upper and front portion.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- In a hand-plow, the combination of a wheel, a plowing tool, a beam having arms which rise from the plowing tool in contact with each other to substantially the level of the axle of the wheel and then continuously diverge to the respective ends of the axle of the wheel and thence forward and upward at an obtuse angle, handles extending from the ends substantially at right angles and likewise diverging, and supports for the handles extending thereto from the point of divergence of the beam, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of September, 1894:.

JACOB V. ROWLETT. Witnesses:

W. J. HIATT, F. W. MARCHANT. 

